The Delhi High Court, while denying anticipatory bail to a man accused of defrauding a woman and her children of over ₹5.63 crore, observed that emotionally or financially vulnerable individuals are often easy targets for exploitation under the guise of spiritual or religious guidance. The accused allegedly used the influence of a religious preacher, whom both parties followed and met at a Chhatarpur temple, to repeatedly extract large sums of money from the complainant.
The Bench of Justice Girish Kathpalia stated , “One cannot ignore the harsh reality of our society where gullible individuals facing the rough weathers in life fall prey to such inducements in the name of religious preachers.”
The court noted that although bail hearings are not meant for recovery of money, repeated opportunities were given to the accused considering the victims' hardships. However, the accused chose not to repay the defrauded amount, refusing to take advantage of the leniency shown.
The court observed that the accused stopped cooperating with the investigation and fled to an undisclosed location. Given the need for custodial investigation to trace the defrauded money, the court found no grounds to grant anticipatory bail and dismissed the application.
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